Armando Davalos
Sept. 15, 2015
Students design and build device for NASA-backed research balloon
Gamma ray detectors, high-energy particles, and a four-million cubic foot stratospheric balloon听鈥 this isn't a听description of a UFO sighting over the New Mexico skies. In fact, the massive balloon in question is very familiar to a group of students in the听.
The students built an intricately crafted instrument which was one of 12 devices affixed to the balloon and launched as part of a collaborative space research initiative out of Louisiana State University (LSU) on Sept. 7.
Under the leadership of听Chris Cully,听assistant professor in the physics and astronomy听department,听the Calgary arm of the Student Organization for Aerospace Research (SOAR) conceived of and built the device. It's equipped with a gamma ray detector, a camera, and a radio to detect lightning. The payload was attached to the balloon, which had a NASA receiver on board.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to detect high energy particles in lightning 鈥斕齭omething that has been theorized for 10 to 20 years, but nobody has really looked into it yet,鈥 explains Candice Quinn, a student and summer research assistant in PHAS and SOAR club president.听
Students among first Canadian representatives in American-based project
The 草莓污视频导航 contingent was among the first group of Canadian university representatives to contribute a device to LSU鈥檚听. By providing a space test platform through a partnership with the NASA Balloon Program Office and the Louisiana Space Consortium, HASP encourages student research and the development of student satellite devices and other space-engineering products.
Creating the device was a true collaborative process, which took several months to put together, and one in which the students had true leadership over.
鈥淢ost of the decisions were made by us,鈥 says student Cooper Duffin. 鈥淐hris was as hands-off as possible.鈥
The students led every aspect of the device鈥檚 creation, from building its software and firmware to testing it in a vacuum chamber to make sure it could withstand the stratosphere鈥檚 extreme temperatures, which can range from -50 to over 60 C. As another student Marc Russel explains, 鈥渢he stratosphere has one of the nastiest environments you could put anything into.鈥
Matthew Patrick
Balloon's successful flight provides good research data听
Several members of SOAR travelled to New Mexico for launch day, where the four-million cubic square foot, 2,000-pound balloon was launched from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility base in Fort Sumner.
鈥淲e were hoping for a flight that flew the full flight time and that we'd have lightning within atmospheric attenuation proximity,鈥 says student Robin Williams. 鈥淭he flight was a record long flight that went nearly twice as long as expected and flew over storms almost the entire time.鈥
Despite being slightly longer than anticipated, the flight was successful. After just over 23 hours, NASA sent the command to terminate the flight, and the balloon came down over the New Mexico desert. The research experience, and the opportunity for collaboration and camaraderie was appreciated by the group.
"The major takeaways will hopefully be good research data, as well as a hope for future potential opportunities for 草莓污视频导航 students to get more involved in aerospace, research, and opportunities to meet industry experts,鈥 says Williams.
鈥淚 am really proud of the students鈥 work,鈥 says Cully. 鈥淭hey put together a really great instrument.鈥
听
The 草莓污视频导航 is driving advances in earth-space discovery for better environmental monitoring and global communication networks as part of the听New Earth-Space Technologies Research Strategy.听The strategy is meeting growing opportunities to apply new knowledge and new technologies for insights into the exponentially growing volumes of data from digital imaging, sensor webs, SCADA, and geospatially referenced data to 听influence environmental stewardship, satellite technologies, mission design, space instrumentation and听our understanding听of the origins of Earth and the solar system.
Matthew Patrick